Cruisin in Cali

Part of the reason for my utter failure in swimming anything close to a 6-hour swim in California may be been due to having such a good time. I caught up with friends I exchange posts with on Facebook, but rarely get to see in person -- including a former high school swim teammate I haven't seen in 30 years. I don't regret a minute of that. I swam with orange fishies and sea lions in La Jolla, watched the beautiful sunset over the cove from the balcony of our hotel room and enjoyed swimming with several members of the La Jolla Swim Club, including EC swimmer Barbara Held. It.Was. Awesome.

Once I hit San Francisco, I met up with Suzie Dods and the gang at the South End Rowing Club and Dolphin Club. Swimming in Aquatic Park was pure bliss! Well, until I had to try swimming 6 hours in it... Suzie had helped arrange swimming playdates with some lovely people and I enjoyed swimming in huge, washing machine waves, the rain and even a calm sunny day.

Could Suzie Dods be any cuter?

Two amazing swimmers Sylvia and Lynn. They were incredibly supportive! Lynn kayaked, Sylvia swam with me and they both helped salvage my depressed soul after I bailed just shy of 2 hours into my qualifying attempt. The cold won.


Catching up with our scooter peeps Mark and Suellen

Great video!



And another!

Swimming in California was fantastic fun. Although I didn't make my qualifying swim, I spent a lot of time in cold ocean water, getting more used to the temps, the chop, the swells and the critters. And getting to meet old friends and make new ones was a joy. In the end, I'm sure it helped me get in the mindset and physical preparation for completing the swim two weeks later!